Donald Dervishi discusses why he chose LSBU
What course did you study at LSBU?
I studied MSc International Business Management with Marketing. Business and marketing are very closely related, and I felt that a mix of the two would provide me with a well-rounded skillset.
What did you like about your course?
What I liked most about my course is that it was very focused on practical case studies. Theoretical concepts are rooted in real world scenarios; it really helped me understand the dynamics of the business world and the factors influencing decision making that you would not necessarily be able to see from a purely theoretical standpoint.
What drew you to LSBU?
I remember when I was deciding where to pursue my master’s degree, I was quite flexible with location and had to choose between 5 universities from all over Europe. What drew me to LSBU is its central location in London. The thought of living and studying right at the heart of London proved to be too tempting to resist. I still cannot believe I am a 20-minute walk away from the Palace of Westminster!
What was life at LSBU like for you – what did you enjoy?
Life at LSBU was very fast paced and dynamic. There was always and event going on, a conference that is worth attending or something fun going on at the pub! I found a lot of interesting like-minded individuals and was able to fit right in.
Did you participate in any extracurricular activities through LSBU?
I participated in a lot of the events that LSBU Enterprise offered and found great value in them but the icing on the cake was the 2019 London Venture Crawl. We jumped on one of the iconic London red buses and spent the day visiting innovative start-ups across London. I was able to meet some amazing people and inspiring entrepreneurs. It was one of those experiences that are hard to forget!
How did you get your current role?
I am currently working as a Business Development Intern at the National Bakery School. Securing a role was not an easy journey, I was limited by my lack of experience and had trouble finding a good fit. I sent out hundreds of applications using various job-seeking platforms, attended meetings to help me improve my CV and took extra online courses to bolster my certifications but nothing seemed to work, and I was getting increasingly frustrated. Everything changed when I went to see Trudi Hamer from the Business Schools’ Placement Team to discuss my experience, she fully understood my struggle and was an immense help. She even put forth her recommendation for the open position at National Bakery School, the rest is history.
What does your job involve?
I am working on several different projects related to Business Development and Marketing. These projects include conducting market research, analyzing data and presenting it to the NBS team, developing the marketing strategy and I was also a key contributor to the new NBS logo and branding. This internship really gave me the opportunity to leverage my ‘hybrid’ skill set to provide value.
Did you know you wanted to work in that role whilst at LSBU?
Considering my background, I knew I wanted to work on something related to business and marketing but I thought I would end up working on a tech startup since I am very passionate about technology and like to keep up with the latest trends. Working in an established institution with such a rich heritage like the National Bakery School was a pleasant surprise.
What do you think LSBU contributed to your current success?
LSBU offers a treasure of information and resources to help students; this includes mock-up interviews to practice, CV building sessions, a dedicated Placement Team for personalized support and even an AI-based platform to optimize your CV! I think these resources played an important role and I learned things I will use extensively throughout my career.
What advice would you give to a prospective LSBU student?
I will answer this question as if I am talking to myself from one year ago: use the resources you are given! There is really no reason to go off on your own and try to do everything alone. LSBU provides a plethora of services to support students and you are doing yourself a disservice by not utilizing them to their full extent.
Read more about our MSc International Business Management with Marketing.